Tuesday, 6 October 2026

The drunkard's cloak and the scold's bridle as punishments for drunkards and quarrelsome women

Share
The drunkard's cloak and the scold's bridle as punishments for drunkards and quarrelsome women

The drunkard's cloak: a barrel with holes for the head and arms, in which alcoholics were dressed and sent to walk about town, though sometimes the man in the barrel was also tied to a post. Beside the drunkard stands a quarrelsome woman in a scold's bridle, a cage for the head that came in various versions, for example with a bell to draw the attention of passers-by and a metal restraint to keep the tongue from moving. Perhaps I ought to have put on the second contraption yesterday, so as not to suffer in the first today (

Report a translation error